I think the thing I enjoy most about art journaling is the lack of pressure. This art is for absolutely nobody but me, it is not outcome focused so the merits of the completed page don’t matter, I can feel free to experiment and mess around with materials and see what emerges, and as such I can step out of my head a bit and just let my hands and eyes do their thing. This latter aspect is so important in my life and might be the thing I miss most when I don’t have time for arting. I spend a lot of time in my head, the cogs in my brain constantly whirring, thoughts in constant motion, and combined with my control freak, overly organised ways, it can all get a bit mentally fatiguing. Sitting down at my art table with a mug of tea and the birds chirping outside the window is, therefore, super relaxing and recharging.
All of which preamble is to explain how this somewhat bonkers image appeared in my art journal and why I really like it even though it is pretty random. Over the course of a few days, I took a breather at my art table and added to this page in gradual increments until I felt like it was done and needed no more messing with. What I ended up with was a sort of bunny girl with a bit of a matryoshka shape going on. I have no idea what it means or what it might say about my psyche but it most definitely got me to step outside my busy head space for a bit. And very refreshing that was too.
PS You might recognise the paper from my recent tea cup collage. It turns out that failing to tidy art materials away helps with creative spontaneity.
A Pict in PA 
Good use of pattern and shape! And yes – I find it true for me too that leaving stuff out in the studio helps with the creative spontaneity!! Good job!!
Thanks, Sue. I now have a valid excuse for my art table being an eyesore. I can’t always blame the cats, who have 50% custody of the table.
I tried once-upon-a-time to leave a “clean studio” at the end of each work session. That didn’t work for me because I spent too much time each new work session thinking “Now, where was I..?”. So since then I’ve purposefully left an “in progress” project out along with it’s attending mess. This “mess” is sometimes visible in the photos I post on my blog – as you know. 😉 And I have one cat and a small dachshund who are my “studio supervisors” and “mess managers” too 😉
I think we should all have spaces that work for us, wherever that may fall on the organized or chaotic spectrum.
I agree!!!!
For example in the blog post I just did there’s a pic of me working on a painting – with “mess” on my easel and if you look above my head in the photo there’s also a “mess” where an artist book is resting on top of some drawers drying on a protective sheet…. 😉 Lol!
I love her. She looks all cozy and hugged-in by her bunny outfit and I like her expression. To me she looks content.
Thanks, Claudia. My husband thinks she looks expressionless but maybe that’s how I feel when I’m content. It’s s kind of being placid I think. Maybe.
I think she looks lost in thought and suddenly she realized someone was in front of her.
haha, I love this journal entry. She look cozy.
Thanks, Sharon.
How cool! She has such an intense gaze. And maybe the idea came from lingering imagery of Easter, with the bunny details and egg-shaped body? 🤔 This piece really is a great argument for never tidying your work table, too!
Thanks. It definitely could have been subconscious thoughts of Easter and Spring. Rodent life has finally returned to my garden so it’s possible.
Really? I hope it’s the good kind… Rabbits, not rats!
Ha ha! No rats. Rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. We also had deer last night.
How cool! I have to trek all the way over to the Phoenix Park if I want to see deer… Although the odd urban fox passes by Beastie Towers which is always an interesting sight!
We have foxes in our street too. I love seeing them but I don’t enjoy hearing them screeching in the middle of the night.
Eeeeeek, yes! Fortunately ours seem to do their screeching elsewhere! 😀